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Gestures - The Best Fix for Your iPad's Broken Home Button

Your iPad's home button is not working anymore. So what do you do to fix the lone, seemingly indispensable hard home button? Apple has provided some great accessibility features in iOS 5.0.1 and above so you simply don't need to get the hard home button fixed.

Yes, it's time to activate Multitasking Gestures - The Best Fix for Your iPad's Broken Home Button

What are Multitasking Gestures in iOS for iPad?

The Multitasking Gestures feature in iOS for iPad lets you use four/five fingers to do the most repeated tasks without the need of even touching your home button:

1. Access the home screen

Gestures action: Go to the home screen from an open app. Simply pinch using four or five fingers on the iPad screen like when you squeeze a ball.Home button action: Click once while you are in an open app to access the home screen.

2. Quickly switch between open apps:

Gestures action: Navigate and choose from open apps by swiping left or right with 4 or 5 fingers.

Home button action: The only alternative to this is the more difficult option of double clicking the home button and going to the multitasking bar to see open apps and choose from them.

3. Access the multitasking bar

Gestures Action: Swipe up using four or five fingers to reveal the multitasking bar (the bar at the bottom that shows open apps).

Home button action: You can access this bar with a fast double click.

How can you activate Multitasking Gestures in your iPad?

To activate Multitasking Gestures in an iPad, make sure that you have iOS 5.0.1 and above. If you don't, simply upgrade from your iPad's settings or via iTunes. Here's the path to activate the feature:

Settings > General > Multitasking Gestures > On

Yes, it's that simple really. Now go ahead and try all three actions above and get used to this awesome accessibility feature bundled in iOS for iPad. You will be surprised how soon you will forget the home button. And for folks who absolutely cannot do without a home button, there's always the on-screen alternative that works for iPhones, iPads and iPods - the AssistiveTouch option.

Here's a video by PhotoTristan on YouTube showing Gestures in action and how to activate them: